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Fan Vaults

Fan-vault

The FAN VAULTGlossary Term is a sophisticated form of barrel vaultGlossary Term built of cut stone, consisting of inverted conoids decoratedGlossary Term with a fan of purely decorative surface ribs, often with pendantGlossary Term bosses.

Gloucester Cathedral, Cloister

Fan vaults appear at first over small spaces, the earliest known structural examples are those of the 14th century in the cloister of Gloucester Cathedral.

Peterborough Cathedral, Retrochoir

On a large scale the fan vaultGlossary Term remained exceptional, associated with especially prestigious buildings in the PerpendicularGlossary Term style of the end of the 15th and early 16th centuries.